Third period, mandatory yoga

He was ridiculed and received hate mail for it, but last winter, Principal Paul Richards stopped publishing the honor roll in the local newspaper after some parents turned the lists into a public accounting, Sara Rimer reports. Yoga classes are required for all seniors. And Richards has asked teachers to schedule homework-free weekends and holidays.

"It's not that I'm trying to turn the culture upside down," he said.

"It's very important to protect the part of the culture that leads to all the achievement," he said. "It's more about bringing the culture to a healthier place."